Poultry-coop.



. VAUGHAN.

POULTRY COOP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 10. 1914.

Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

THI; COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. C.

J. MLVAUGHAN.

POULTRY COOP.

APPLICATION FILED nov- 10. I9I4.

1 1 77,068. Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- THE COLUMBIA PLAEx'OGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, n. c.

pnrr ea c onnron.

JAMES M. VAUGHAN, OF OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY.

POULTRY-COOP.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented 2d, Mille Application filed. November 10, 1914. SeriaI No.871,339.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known'that 1, JAMES M. VAUGHAN,citizen of the United States, residing at Owensboro, in the county ofDaviess and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Poultry- Coops, of which the following is aspecification.

'This invention relates to poultry coops and has as its object toprovide a 'sheet metal coop, the parts comprising which may be readilydisassembled to permit of being packed in a small space for shipmenttween the said side walls, the means provided for supporting the saidfront and rear walls being of such nature that these walls may bereadily removed after the bottom or floor has been moved from positionbe tween the side walls.

The invention also aims to provide the front wall of the coop with animperforate main door and a screened auxiliary ventilating door, and afeature of the invention resides in the novel manner in which these twodoors are connected for independent swinging movement. Incidentally theinvention contemplates the provision of a hinge connection for the doorswhich will consist solely of interengaging parts integral with the doorsand with the said wall of the coop, this connection being such that itwill not be liable to get out of order and will, at thesame time, permitof either or both doors being removed bodily from the said wall andreplaced whenever desired.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a coop, the door for theforward wall.

of which will be adapted to be swung down to form an inclined wayleading from the ground to the door opening, so that small chickens mayreadily enter the coop.

' The invention also contemplates the provisionof a screened ventilatingopening in the rear wall of the coop adapted to be closed when desiredby a door hinged in the manner above briefly described. 1

Another aim of the invention is to provide means for supporting the dooror bottom of the coop against sagging, which means will also, to acertain extent, prevent rain water running beneath the coop.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the coopembodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.Fig. 3 is a rear elevation, a portion of the rear door being broken awayto show the screened ventilating opening. Fig. 4 is a perspective viewof one of the side walls of the coop. Fig. 5 is a detail transversesectional view on the line 55 of Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a detail verticalfront to rear sectional view through the lower portion of the front wallof the coop and the main and auxiliary doors mounted thereon, thesedoors being shown in closed position. Fig. 7 is a similar view showingthe doors open. Fig. 8 is a detail vertical front to rear sectional viewthrough the lower rear portion of the coop.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawingsby the same reference characters.

Inthe drawings, the coop is illustrated as comprislng side wallsconnected at their upper edges directly to each other, a floor separablyconnected at its side edges with the lower edges of the said side walls,and front and rear walls which are mounted between the side walls andare supported by the saidfloor, and of these parts, the side walls areindicated by the numeral 1, the bottom or floor is indicated by thenumeral 2, the front wall is indicated by the numeral 3 and the rearwall by the numeral a. Each of the side walls 1 has its upper edgeportion overturned to form a bead 5 open at one side, and'by referenceto Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be observed that the beads 5 are arrangedto have intcrlocl. ing engagement when the coop is set up, suchengagement being secured either by sliding one head into the other or byrelatively swinging the sides 1 about the beads as a center after havinginserted the smaller beadinto the open side of the larger bead. Thelower edge portion of each wall 1 is formed with an open sided bead 6and the side edge portions of the floor 2 are formed with similar beads7 and it will be apparent, by reference to the said Figs. 1 to 3inclusive, that the beads 5, 6 and 7 interlock in the set up conditionof the coop. At this point it will be understood that when the sidewalls and floor are assembled in the manner stated, the said side wallswill. be held against separation at their lower ends by the floor andthe floor will be supported by the beads 6. In order to prevent saggingof the floor 2, approximately cylindrical beads 8 are riveted orotherwise secured to the underside of the said floor and extendtransversely beneath the floor at the front and rear thereof andpreferably substantially in the vertical plane occupied by the front andrear walls 3 and 4-. The beads & have their under sides located in aplane touching the under side of the beads 6, as will be apparent byreference to 2 and 3, so that the coop is supported at its forward andrear ends as well as at both sides and spaced above the ground surface.

The front and rear walls 3 and 1 are triangular and of dimensions to fitsnugly between the side walls and floor of the coop body at therespective ends thereof and to completely close the said ends of thebody, and these walls are supported in position in a manner which willnow be explained. Secured to the inner side of each side wall, as forexample by rivets 9, and parallel to and adjacent the forward endthereof is a suitable length of angle iron, one wing 10 of whichconstitutes the attaching wing through which the rivets are secured, andthe other wing 11 of which projects at right angles from the wall and atthe points of location of the rivets 9 clips 12 are provided, eachhaving an attaching portion 13 through which the rivet is secured, thesaid attaching portions of the clips being disposed between the wings 10of the angle strips and the inner face of the respective wall 1. Thebody portions of the clips 12 lie in spaced relation to the wing 11 ofthe angle strip and in arranging the wall 1 in position the inclinedside edges of the wall are fitted between the wings 11 of the anglestrips upon the said side walls and the body portions 12 of the clips,the said forward wall being in this manner supported in upright positionbetween the said side walls with the lower edge of the forward wallresting upon the floor 2 of the coop. In a like manner, an angle strip14iand clips 15 are secured to each side wall near the rear end thereoffor the purpose of supporting the rear wall 1 of the coop in uprightposition.

For a purpose to be presently explained, the lower edge portion of theforward wall 3 is rolled to form a substantially cylindrical bead 16open at its upper side adjacent the plane of the said wall 3 and thisbead preferably extends the entire width of the lower edge of the saidwall 3 and rests upon the floor 2. The said wall 3 is provided with adoor opening 17 and a main door and an auxiliary screened door aresupported for swinging movement upon the head 16 in front of the dooropening 17 in a manner which will now be explained. The auxiliary doorcomprises an open sheet metal frame 18 which may be of any desired shapeand which has its lower edge portion rolled to form a bead 19 which isrotatably fitted into the bead 16, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Theopening in the frame 18 is covered by a sheet of foraminous materialsuch for example as wire netting indicated at 20. The main door isindicated at 21 and is of sheet metal and has its lower edge portionrolled to form a bead 22 which is fitted rotata-bly in the bead 19 andthis door is imperforate as will be observed by reference to Figs. 1 and2 of the drawings and is of such dimensions as to completely cover theopening in the frame 18 of the auxiliary door when both doors are inclosed position. It will now be observed that the main and auxiliarydoors are connected hingedly with the bead 16 and that they may be movedindependently upon this bead as a hinge, so that the auxiliary door maybe moved to position to cover the door opening 16 and the main door 21may be allowed to remain in lowered position, as shown in Fig. 1, orboth doors may be moved to open position, in which position theauxiliary door will rest flat upon the main door and both doors will beinclined so as to provide an inclined way from the ground surface to thelower side of the opening 17. It will also be apparent that both doorsmay be moved to closed position, or, in other words, to position shownin Fig. 6. As a means for holding either or both of the doors closed, alatch 23 is pivoted, as at 24, upon the outer side of the forward wall 3above the door opening 17 and may be swung into or out of latchingengagement with the doors.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the doors are connected forswinging movement with the forward wall of the coop in a manner whichrenders it practically impossible for the hinge connection to becomedisarranged'and that the use of a pintle rod or wire is entirelyavoided. It will also be apparent that'either. or both of the doors maybe bodily removed from the coop by sliding their lower edges lengthwisein the head 16.

The auxiliary door 18, of course, provides for ventilation of the coopand in order that the coop may be readily aired whenever desired, itsrear wall 4 is formed near its lower end with a ventilating opening 25covered by a sheet of wire netting 26 and animperforate door 27 similarin con-- struction to the door 21, is hingedly connected at its lowerside with a head 28 formed upon the said rear wall and corresponding tothe bead 16. It will, of course, be understood that when the door27 isin closed position, the screened opening 25 will be closed and in orderthat the door may be held in such position, a pivoted latch 29 ismounted upon the said rear wall of the coop and corresponds inconstruction and function to the latch 23.

From the foregoing description of the invention, it will be seenthatthere is provided a coop, the parts comprising which may be readilyassembled and disassembled without the use of tools and it will beapparent that the doors for the coop are so connected therewith that thedesired ventilation may be secured and the coop left open or completelyclosed as may be desired and yet there is no likelihood of the hingedconnections for the doors becoming disarranged or difficult to movethrough being battered or becoming rusty.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: 1. Acoop including a wall provided with a door opening and having a portionprovided with an open bead, and main and auxiliary doors provided withinterfitting beads hingedly engaging the bead upon the said wall.

2. A coop including a wall provided with a door opening and having aportion provided with an open bead, and main and auxiliary doorsprovided with interfitting beads hingedly engaging the bead upon thesaid wall, the doors being independently movable.

3. A coop including a wall provided with r a door opening and having aportion pro- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,by addressing the vided with an open bead, and main and auxiliary doorsprovided with interfitting beads hingedly engaging the bead upon thesaid Wall, the doors being independently movable and one of the saiddoors being foraminous.

4. A coop including a wall provided with a door opening and having aportion provided with an open bead extending below the door opening, anda door provided at its lower end with a bead engaging within the beadupon the said wall whereby to hingedly support the door.

5. A coop including a wall provided With a door opening and having aportion provided with an open bead, main and auxiliary doors havingbeads hingedly engaging the bead upon the said wall, and latch ,meansfor holding both or either of the doors in closed position, one of saiddoors being provided with ventilating means. 6. A coop including a wallprovided with a door opening and having a portion provided with an openbead, main and auxiliary doors having beads hingedly engaging the beadupon the said Wall, and latch means for holding both or either of thedoors in closed position, one of said doors being provided withventilating means, the doors when in open position extending at aninclination from the lower side of the door opening.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES M. VAUGHAN. [n s.] Witnesses:

J. E. SWEENEY, CRoMwELL WOOD.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington. D. C.

